CUCINA RUSTICA

The breezy compilers of Cucina Fresca (1985) and Pasta Fresca (1988) have put together another collection of simple Italian dishes in tune with the current insatiable demand for brisk, zesty fare. There is much good summer food here--grilled fish, grilled vegetables, nifty chicken salads, antipasti--along with some basic pastas, unusual pizzas (one of mashed potatoes, another a pizza-like fritata), and several mottos. It would be hard to argue that we need even more recipes from any of these categories; but where a freshener is indicated, this will do nicely.